1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a storing apparatus, more particularly to a USB digital storing apparatus, wherein an inserting end thereof is adapted for rotation between an application position and a retracting position.
2. Description of Related Arts
Portable USB flash drive storing apparatuses are gaining momentum in the marketplace and gradually taking place of optical disks.
A conventional USB flash drive usually comprises two members—a storing arrangement and a protective casing, wherein the storing arrangement is movable with respect to the protective casing in a tongue-groove coupling so the USB flash drive is fixed while being transported. However, the two-member design easily results in a loss of the protective casing when it is taken away from the storing arrangement; therefore, a rotatory USB flash drive having a single-member design has appeared in the USB market.
Accordingly, a typical rotatory flash drive has a structure disclosed in the patent publication of TW-M373624 (hereinafter cited as 624 patent) and TW-M372994 (hereinafter cited as 994 patent), wherein according to the 624 patent, the flash drive comprises a storing arrangement and a U-shaped shading casing, wherein the storing arrangement is adapted for orientations at 90°, 180°, 270°, 360° with respect to the U-shaped shading casing. According to the 994 patent, the flash drive comprises a main body having a position slot which acts as an axis for the rotating of a protective casing, and the protective casing comprises a protrusion member and a position member to couple with the main body at an open end thereof so that the protective casing is capable of rotating with respect to the main body between an application position and a retracting position.
Both the flash drive of the 624 patent and 994 patent can avoid the loss of the protective casing by means of a design in which the main body and the protective casing are adapted to rotate with respect to each, However, no matter which part acts as the axis of rotation, the main body or the protective casing, there are still disadvantages.
According to the 624 patent, the position of the axis should be adjacent to the open end of the protective casing (i.e. not being positioned at the center of the protective casing) so that the main body can be successfully rotated outside for application; therefore, the main body does can be retracted to be completely received in the protective casing, but when the main body is rotated outside, the total length of the flash drive will be doubled as compared with when the main body is received in the protective casing.
According to the 994 patent, when the main body is rotated outside for application, the total length of the flash drive is relatively shorter (than that of the 624 patent), wherein a main body portion contributed for the corresponding reduced length is rotated so as to be extended along the longitudinal length of the protective casing But when the main body is received in the protective casing, a large gap is defined between the inserting end of the main body and the closing end of the protective casing, and therefore the other end—which is opposite to the inserting end of the main body—is exposed outside. This has the, perhaps, uninted effect of adding to the length of the flash drive. Therefore, the above mentioned construction of the flash drive departs from the need of customers for a relatively lighter, thinner, shorter and smaller flash drive, and thus improvement should be made.